Difference between revisions of "Strobonar"
(Correction--Strobonar brand preceded all-in-one flashes) |
m (Added category) |
||
(8 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
− | + | ||
{|class=floatright | {|class=floatright | ||
| | | | ||
Line 13: | Line 13: | ||
| | | | ||
{{Flickr_image | {{Flickr_image | ||
− | |image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebelbeb/4686032160/in/pool- | + | |image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebelbeb/4686032160/in/pool-camerawiki/ |
|image= http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4015/4686032160_c63f2467bf.jpg | |image= http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4015/4686032160_c63f2467bf.jpg | ||
|image_align= right | |image_align= right | ||
Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
'''Strobonar''' was the brand used by [[Honeywell]] for a long-lasting series of electronic flash units. | '''Strobonar''' was the brand used by [[Honeywell]] for a long-lasting series of electronic flash units. | ||
− | The Heiland | + | The Heiland Research Corp., based in Denver, Colorado, originally used the Strobonar brand in 1950<REF>The 1950 origin date is cited in a May, 1965 ''Popular Photography'' advertisement (Vol. 56, No. 5; page 46).</REF> on electronic flash units powered by a separate battery pack. (These could also use AC household power.) Several years after Heiland's acquisition by Honeywell, they introduced one of the earliest self-contained [[flash|electronic flashes]], the 1958 '''Futuramic Strobonar'''. This was still an imposingly-large "potato masher" design, and the original list price of USD $59.95 would equate to roughly $470 current (2011) dollars<REF>[http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm Inflation calculator] from the US Department of Labor [http://www.bls.gov/home.htm Bureau of Labor Statistics].</REF>. Starting with the 1961 '''Futuramic II''', all the large Strobonar models had a distinctive oval lens over their flash-tube reflector. |
− | The Strobonar name was reused over the following decades for successive models, | + | The Strobonar name was reused over the following decades for successive models, from more compact shoe-mount flashes to stand-mounted studio units with [[flash trigger|slave triggers]]. Honewell was a pioneer in flashes which used a photocell measuring light reflected back from the subject to control the duration of the flash pulse, thus offering autoexposure for flash shots—these models carried the '''Auto/Strobonar''' name. Later versions of the "potato masher" models, such as the Strobonar 882, could use a separate '''Strobo-Eye''' mounted in the camera's accessory shoe to achieve this control even with off-camera flash (and the [[Pentax_Spotmatic#The_Spotmatic_SP_IIa|Pentax Spotmatic SP IIa]] included this sensor in the camera body, just below the rewind crank). |
As electronic flash units increasingly became a built-in feature of many cameras, and with inexpensive Asian imports undercutting the remaining marketplace, Honeywell ultimately retired the Strobonar line. | As electronic flash units increasingly became a built-in feature of many cameras, and with inexpensive Asian imports undercutting the remaining marketplace, Honeywell ultimately retired the Strobonar line. | ||
Line 44: | Line 44: | ||
|image_rights= Public domain US no copyright | |image_rights= Public domain US no copyright | ||
}} | }} | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[Category:Honeywell]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Electronic flash]] |
Latest revision as of 03:40, 5 May 2015
| ||
|
Strobonar was the brand used by Honeywell for a long-lasting series of electronic flash units.
The Heiland Research Corp., based in Denver, Colorado, originally used the Strobonar brand in 1950[1] on electronic flash units powered by a separate battery pack. (These could also use AC household power.) Several years after Heiland's acquisition by Honeywell, they introduced one of the earliest self-contained electronic flashes, the 1958 Futuramic Strobonar. This was still an imposingly-large "potato masher" design, and the original list price of USD $59.95 would equate to roughly $470 current (2011) dollars[2]. Starting with the 1961 Futuramic II, all the large Strobonar models had a distinctive oval lens over their flash-tube reflector.
The Strobonar name was reused over the following decades for successive models, from more compact shoe-mount flashes to stand-mounted studio units with slave triggers. Honewell was a pioneer in flashes which used a photocell measuring light reflected back from the subject to control the duration of the flash pulse, thus offering autoexposure for flash shots—these models carried the Auto/Strobonar name. Later versions of the "potato masher" models, such as the Strobonar 882, could use a separate Strobo-Eye mounted in the camera's accessory shoe to achieve this control even with off-camera flash (and the Pentax Spotmatic SP IIa included this sensor in the camera body, just below the rewind crank).
As electronic flash units increasingly became a built-in feature of many cameras, and with inexpensive Asian imports undercutting the remaining marketplace, Honeywell ultimately retired the Strobonar line.
Notes
- ↑ The 1950 origin date is cited in a May, 1965 Popular Photography advertisement (Vol. 56, No. 5; page 46).
- ↑ Inflation calculator from the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Links
- Honeywell Strobonar manuals for various models, from Mike Butkus' OrphanCameras.com
A 1971 advertisement of the Honeywell Strobonar flash lineup scan courtesy Michael Raso (Image rights) |